


Its A Quarter After One

by sigynsfire



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben Solo Needs A Hug, F/M, I Made Myself Cry, If You Squint - Freeform, Modern Era, Rey Needs A Hug, Sorry Not Sorry, and only kinda, sad fic, song fic no one asked for, turned happy, well maybe me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:19:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22080166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sigynsfire/pseuds/sigynsfire
Summary: Its New Years and Rey and Ben are drunk and reminiscing about their shared past.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 1
Kudos: 17





	Its A Quarter After One

**Author's Note:**

> Fic is inspired by Lady Antebellum's song "Need You Now". It's got some lyrics in it, but isn't REALLY a song fic. But if you want to listen to the song while you read - feel free! It's...all I listened to in the two hours it took me to write this. Please enjoy!

Rey sat on the floor on her tiny apartment, pictures scattered in an arc around her and a half empty bottle of wine beside her. She knew she shouldn’t have pulled the albums out – that doing so would only lead to pain and sadness as she longed for something she didn’t have anymore. Longing for someone she hadn’t seen in a year. Honestly, the fact that today was the anniversary of them falling apart – of her leaving, if she was being honest with herself – was what had inspired this latest binge. Not that it wasn’t the first. And, she mused sadly, it wouldn’t be the last.

With a muttered curse Rey scrubbed at her eyes with the palm of her hand, banishing the tears that were prickling there, before grabbing the bottle beside her and taking an un-ladylike swig from it - something that had always amused and slightly, befuddled Ben. That thought alone caused a tear to escape the prison she had tried to build and it slid down her cheek and splashed on one of the pictures below. As if in a daze, Rey set the bottle down and gingerly picked up the picture and carefully wiped the offending tear off of the face of the man looking back up at her. This was the second worst New Years ever.

With a deep breath she stood up and, after a couple of wobbly false starts, made her way to her bedroom where she had banished her phone. Whenever she got this she would purposely hide her phone out of sight so that she wouldn’t do something stupid – like call him. But...she needed to. She needed to hear his voice. She needed him. She cast her eyes around the small room as she tried to recall where, exactly, she had hidden her phone.

“Okay, Sober Rey, where’d ya hide th’ phone?” she slurred to herself. Her brain laughed at her and told her to go back to the living room; it wouldn’t give up its secrets. Besides, what was the point? Why would Ben want to talk to you or even see you? You ran away and left him. He could do better than a scared little girl. “You’re a mean bitch, ya know that?” Rey shook her head in frustration and hit her knees. She’d look under the bed.

After almost fifteen minutes of pulling all the storage containers out from under her bed and tossing everything out them she had found nothing. With an angry growl she fell back onto the ground and stared at the ceiling. Sober Rey was too good at this. What a cunt. She turned over to her side and curled up in a fetal position and hugged her chest. God, it hurt so much. As the tears flowed freely she caught the tell-tale blinking of a light under her nightstand and blinked confusedly at it. With a trembling hand, she reached out and wrapped her hands around the object; pulling back her phone. With a clarity she certainly didn’t think she had she quickly pulled up her contacts list and selected his name. After only a moment’s hesitation, she pushed ‘dial’ and held the phone to her ear; not breathing.

The phone went straight to voicemail and, for the first time in a year, she was hearing the deep baritone voice that she ached for. “This is Ben Solo. Please leave a name, number, and a brief message. I will get back to you as soon as time permits.”

“Ben?” Her voice was watery and weak. She took a gulping breath and tried to steady it. “It’s Rey. I’m sorry to call you. I know its probably not...not wanted. Or anything. But...I miss you.” She looked up at the clock briefly. “I was wonderin’ if I ever crossed your mind,” she whispered. “For me...it happens all the time. I guess that sounds stupid since it’s my fault.” She choked on a sob and sniffed. “It’s a quarter after one. You’re probably asleep. I...I always say I wouldn’t call but I’ve lost all control and I...I need you now. I don’t know how I can do without...I just need you now.” She let out a quiet sigh as she hung up and closed her eyes.

Within minutes she was asleep.

~!~!~!

Ben sat in a chair in front of a large window that faced the street; staring down at the streetlights below. To the unobservant it would seem he was watching the cars pass below but, his dark brown eyes were glazed over and distant. A nearly empty whiskey bottle sat on the window sill beside him and in his large hand was a tumbler full of the amber liquid. Every time he heard footsteps outside his door he would look up expectantly, hope clearly on his features, and stare hard at the entryway. And every time the door didn’t open and she didn’t sweep in he’d down a glassful of the liquid.

The bottle had been bought new that day.

This was the second worst New Years ever as far as he was concerned. This time last year he had proposed to the girl of his dreams. Rey made him feel complete and as if every wrong turn in his life had been worth it because it had brought them together. Clearly she hadn’t felt the same. She ran from the apartment they had shared and had moved out the next day while he was gone. He wasn’t even sure where she had ended up. All of this meant that he should move on. That’s what a normal human would do. But, he found that he couldn’t. It was fucking stupid how much he needed her still.

Every day since then he wondered what it was that had sent her away. He was oft-times broody but she had always laughed at him and would reach out to smooth the creases out of his forehead with her soft hands. With a sad sigh he reached up to his forehead as if he could somehow feel the ghost of her fingers there. Was the thought of being bound to him and his tumultuous past that bad for her? If so why hadn’t she left sooner? Nothing about the fall out of their relationship made sense to him. With a frown he reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out his phone and held his finger to the back of it to unlock it. On his home screen was a picture of Rey, widely grinning back at him; a small dab of ketchup from the hot dog she was eating caught in the corner of her mouth. He remembered leaning over to lick the condiment off of her after taking the picture. His fingers rested lightly on the picture’s face before he opened the contacts with a determined push – the haptic feedback from the phone screen making him shiver.

He quickly scrolled to Rey’s name and pushed the green phone icon; waiting with bated breath for her. After a couple of rings it went to voicemail. Of course. She probably saw his name and ignored it. With a bittersweet smile he listened to her voice. “Its Rey! Do the thing!” Ben quickly finished the whiskey in his tumbler and let the words spill out of him.

“Hey...It’s Ben,” he started and then groaned. “Of course. You know that. That’s dumb. This is Ben. How stupid can I be?” The man sighed. “I was just wondering if I ever cross your mind? For me it happens all the time.” Had he really meant to say that? That sounded cheesy as fuck and he didn’t usually do cheese. That was definitely more Rey’s M.O. “I haven’t heard from you since...well, since that night. But, I can’t stop thinking about you. I miss you. It’s a quarter after one, I’m a little drunk.” Ben choked a small self-deprecating laugh. “Well, maybe a lot drunk. I need you now. I don’t know how I can do without...without you. I’m sorry. You probably don’t need to hear this.” Ben quickly hung up and stood up from his chair; stuffing his phone back into his pocket and making his way for his bedroom. Once there he collapsed into the bed and passed out.

~!~!~!

Rey woke up the next morning sore, cranky, with a headache, and surrounded by everything that had been stored under the bed. With a groan she sat up and looked around; her eyes widening with alarm when they landed on the phone nearby. Drunk Rey had found the phone. Son of a bitch. With shaking hands she picked up the phone and the screen lit up with the alert of one new voicemail. Rey swiped up to unlock the phone and pulled up her call history.

“FUCK.” She ground the word out and used the bed to slowly pull herself up off the floor. “FUCK FUCK FUCK. GOD DAMNIT, DRUNK REY.” That voicemail could easily be a friend to check in on her. Sure, it could be. But, somehow, she knew it would be Ben. Probably to tell her to get a life and leave him alone. After all, she had ditched him and not even told him where she was going, he would certainly be entitled. She had never meant to hurt him, but the proposal had scared her. More than she thought possible. And then she had run away like that? She couldn’t face him. She was a child, apparently. All her talk of not wanting to be abandoned and what did she do? Abandon him.

As she stumbled out of the room she stubbed her toe on her bed frame which set her off into a whole slew of other curses. Coffee. She needed coffee and food. Then she’d listen to the voicemail. Though, honestly, she should just delete it instead. She was sure that listening would only break her heart. “Just pull the band-aid off,” she muttered. She set the phone on her kitchen counter and dialed into her voicemail; putting it on speaker as she moved about.

“To listen to your messages, push seven...” Rey reached over and pushed the number and turned on the coffee pot. His voice came through, clear as day, and brought tears to her eyes and a chuckle at his intro. Still an awkward dork. In the silence she reached into her cabinet for a coffee cup and then paused as the words seemed to tumble for his lips; tears springing to her eyes. With a gasp she dropped the mug and barely flinched as it shattered across the kitchen tile. Her entire focus was on the phone and in her head was the sound of a rushing echo and her heart pounding. Swallowing thickly she grabbed the phone and then jumped over the broken ceramic; running for her front door. She quickly slipped on tennis shoes and grabbed her purse. If she stopped to think she’d change her mind and let logic take over. She didn’t want to think. She needed to get to his apartment.

~!~!~!

Light streamed in through the bedroom window and onto Ben’s face. With a groan he yanked a pillow over and placed it on his face; trying to block out the offending light. What jackass had left the curtains open last night? His sleepy and hungover brain shrugged. Clearly it was you, it seemed to say. You are alone now, after all. With a frown Ben fidgeted in the bed and began to wonder why his side ached slightly. Reaching around and patting the area he found his phone still in pocket and groaned. He’d broken phones like this before. He knew better. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and noted that it was dead.

With a sigh he swung his legs out of bed and stood up. A dead phone on New Years? He would be willing to bet that there would be several texts from his mom making sure he was okay and then pestering him because he hadn’t responded yet. He looked over at the clock on his bedside table and eyed it warily. Ten a.m. Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad. He stood up and made his way to the kitchen and set the phone on the docking station there to charge as he made breakfast. The cure all for a hangover – coffee, eggs, bacon.  
The phone turned on once it had enough charge and he glanced over at it’s blinking as he cracked two eggs open over his frying pan. He had voicemail. With a long-suffering sigh he dialed into his voicemail. It was probably his mom.

“You have two new messages. Please press seven...” Ben didn’t wait for the prompt to finish and pressed the necessary digit before going back to sprinkling ample pepper on his frying eggs.

“Happy New Year, son! Please remember to come visit...” Ben rolled his eyes and pressed nine to delete. He’d call Mom later. He knew what the message said. It’s what it always said.

“Message deleted.” Ben pulled out the bacon and waited for the second one. If the first had been Mom then the second was either going to be her again because he hadn’t responded right away OR it would be dad asking him to please call his mother.

“Ben?” Ben froze; his hand hovering over the frying pan as he blinked rapidly as tears pricked there. That was NOT Mom OR Dad. Rey sounded sad and drunk. Well, he could certainly relate. The more he listened to her the message the more his chest ached. He slowly turned off the stove and looked down at his phone before growling.

“GOD DAMNIT, REY.” He couldn’t go find her and gather her into his arms and kiss all her tears away. He couldn’t do ANYTHING because she had left and not said where she was going. He had NOTHING to go on. He quickly moved towards the entryway and started pulling on his shoes. He needed to go for a walk. He needed to think.

~!~!~!

“GOD DAMNIT, REY.” Rey stood outside the familiar apartment door, her hand poised to knock when she heard him. He was cursing her. Her emotions quickly flitted across her face – confusion, hurt, sadness, and resignation – as she lowered her hand and backed away. She’d been a fool. She looked up in alarm when the sound of locks being disengaged sounded and found herself frozen in place as she handle turned; the door flinging open roughly. She gaped at it like a fish out of water.

Ben’s forehead was creased in the way it did when he was worried and frustrated and he was just so damn handsome. Her heart ached just looking at him. She watched as his brown eyes widened in realization of who was standing in front of him and she took a couple of quick steps away.

“….Rey?” His voice was soft and unbelieving. Maybe he was still asleep and this was some horrible nightmare sent to torment him.

“I’m sorry...I shouldn’t have come.” Rey turned and started to make her getaway. This had been a mistake. She had heard him cursing her. She needed to go. She startled when a large, warm, hand wrapped around her wrist and stopped her. Ben had quickly closed the distance and wrapped himself around her; enveloping her in his warmth.

“I...got your voicemail,” he murmured thickly. “Please don’t go.” It was a plea; much like when she had left him the year before. Tears streamed down her face and she wiggled in his grip so that she could face him.

“I heard you...just now. I...thought you wouldn’t want...” she trailed off as he burrowed his face in the crook of her neck.

“I was upset cause I had no way to go to you,” he answered. “I was powerless to do anything.”

“I got your voicemail also,” she responded quietly. At that he lifted his head in confusion.

“My voicemail??” Had he called her last night? Shit. At the look on his face she laughed quietly and pulled her phone out and dialed into voicemail; playing it for him. “And...you came back?”

“I missed you,” she replied. “I know it’s my fault and I’m sorry...” Any apologies she had were silenced as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers gently and hugged her close; causing her brain to short circuit. When he pulled away, he stared down at her cautiously.

“Whatever I did wrong...I’ll fix it. But, please don’t leave again.” Ben slid his hand down her arm and latched onto her hand; tugging her gently back towards the door. “Please, let's talk.” Rey blinked up at him owlishly. Her leaving hadn’t been his fault. Had he spent the entire year thinking it was? That knowledge broke her heart all over again. But, here he was still asking her to stay. With her free hand she reached up and gently swiped them across his forehead like she used to and pushed some of his tousled hair out of his eyes.

“I’ll stay as long as you want me,” she replied quietly as she followed him into the apartment.


End file.
